Building and creating relationships is critical to one's success in business. It is an integral part of your business online to make connections and network with others.

Luckily, we live in a time that now more than ever it's easier to build valuable, supportive relationships both online and off. We have an army of tools at our disposal to help us connect with others in and outside of our businesses!

Relationships online are just the same as they are in *real* life, and too often I see people miss opportunities to build relationships which can often lead to other possibilities within their business. It's not called social media because it means get online and shout about all that you’re doing and then peace out.

This is the difference between broadcasting vs. engaging within your content strategy. Engagement is a huge part of building relationships and the key to creating a successful online presence. You are a part of a community online, whether you realize it or not. It is integral to your success as a business online to fundamentally understand that you can not exist without your community online. You can not exist in a vacuum online. It's not possible.

[Tweet "Social media doesn't mean get online, shout about all that you’re doing, then peace out."]

Nobody wants to be around someone who talks about themselves all the time. Don’t be that person online. Take the time to get to know people within your industry and those that follow and engage with you online.

[promo]

Don't be fooled, social media is all about relationships. It is not about what you can get or what you will achieve. That's the gravy that comes after. You won't get anywhere without the relationships you build around your business.

I often hear from people that it feels shallow to spark up engagement, or that networking feels tacky. It isn't. And it's not. It is a fundamental need that all humans have and respond warmly to when done authentically.

You have this in you!

I love this quote (and share it A LOT) by Jon Acuff from his book "Do Over" because I think it captures perfectly what it means to build relationships.

...working on a relationship like a project feels disingenuous, but to believe that being intentional about a relationship is selfish or manipulative is to believe that being lazy about a relationship is humble and nobly motivated.

I am here today because of the relationships I have built online. All of this takes time and thought. But stay open to change, remain curious, watch what others do online, and most of all pay attention to what works for you! You have the power to create your own space online, and in doing so make your goals a reality.

Remember you’re still you online, act like it.

Have questions for me? Want to share a story about how you've grown online? Let me know below.